Remember Joy

by Ginny Sterling

  “We’ve got forty minutes to get through security and to the gate. I’m sorry, Cora,” she heard Jamie utter, his words full of regret. “I feel like such a heel right now, but you’ve got to drop us off here. We gotta go, Mike. Dude – I am really sorry.”

  Mike uttered an expletive and turned to where Cora sat, clenching the steering wheel. His eyes swung towards her, and she saw the raw pain glimmering in their dark depths.

  “Go,” she whispered, feeling her heart breaking in two. She knew deep down inside that Mike would miss his flight deliberately if he knew she was hurting. “I’m okay. You are coming home when you can.”

  “I swear it.”

  “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

  “I want you to know I will keep my word. I love you so much.”

  “Mike,” she barely got out as he leaned over quickly, kissing her intensely.

  “Brakes! Hit the brakes! We’re rolling!” Jamie hollered immediately, patting them on the heads to separate the two of them. Cora stomped on the brake pedal and winced as she saw her car was almost touching a huge Tahoe in front of her. Jamie opened the back door and slid out. He then opened Mike’s door, and she felt like her fragile front she was putting out was in jeopardy of breaking into a million pieces.

  “I love you, little wife,” Mike said trying to smile.

  “You better hurry home, little husband,” she bantered, smirking playfully as she felt her eyes and nose begin to burn from unshed tears. “Jamie, take my husband with you and make sure he makes his flight. I don’t want him in trouble.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Cooper,” Jamie said with a somber salute.

  “Watch out for him,” Cora ordered painfully, nodding. She turned to Mike. “I’ll be waiting.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Chapter 12

  March 2017

  Cora heard Dino’s whine deep in his belly as he lay across her lap on the couch while she sat there watching the evening news. Petting the dog, Dino suddenly scrambled to his feet and ran down from the couch, scratching Cora’s leg in the meantime. Barking, she felt a shiver of unease run down her spine as the dog stood right in front of the door.

  “What’s wrong?”

  A loud knock made Cora jump fearfully as she slid off the couch and glanced out the door. Rolling her eyes, she realized that she hadn’t changed the burnt-out porch bulb just yet and couldn’t see who was standing there.

  “Who is it?” she asked loudly and projected her voice. “Calm down, Killer – if I open the door, you can’t attack like you did last time.”

  Cora glanced down at the large yellow dog that was staring up at her, wagging his tail happily at the attention. The dog would lick an intruder to death or trip them when he flopped down on the floor lovingly wanting his belly patted.

  “It’s your husband.”

  Yanking open the door, Cora stared at Mike’s exhausted face. His eyes were full of love and adoration as he stood there in the shadows. Dino instantly jumped up on him, pushing Cora to the side, his paws nearly reaching Mike’s shoulders.

  “Did your mama rename you Killer?” Mike teased, petting the dog and smiling at Cora. “Can I come in, little wife?”

  “You’re home,” she breathed happily.

  “I had a promise to keep,” he smiled, “A promise I intended to keep to the woman I love more than life itself. You are looking at the newest recruiter assigned to desk duty in Tyler.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “As a heart-attack,” Mike chuckled, pushing the dog down so he could embrace her. Kissing her tenderly, he smoothed her hair away from her face and looked into her eyes.

  “They said I had a gift and could talk my way out of anything.”

  “You’ll be wonderful at the job.”

  “I don’t know,” he admitted, “If any of these boys have someone they adore half as much as I love you – I’ll never talk them into signing up.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she chided tenderly, “You can be pretty convincing.”

  “Does that mean you’ve fallen in love with me again, my lovely little wife?”

  “I’ve never stopped loving you.”

  “I think it’s time we got caught up on time we’ve missed while we were apart.”

  “We do have quite a bit of time to make up for,” she announced tenderly, smoothing his brow as he stared at her lovingly with his dark intense eyes that burned like hot coals.

  “How about starting with that wedding night I owe you?” he said huskily, wrapping his arms around her waist. Cora reached over and closed the front door, throwing the lock with an audible click.

  “See? You’ve already got me convinced,” she said with a wide smile. “You’ll make an incredible recruiter.”

  Afterword

  Thank you for taking the time to read Remember Joy. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Doesn’t have to be much, just a simple rating and a few kind words work wonders. Your thoughts, opinions and feedback are much appreciated.

  Sincerely,

  Ginny

  Lawfully Gifted

  CPO John Griffin’s story - the book that launched the series Healing Hearts

  Dear John…

  For teacher Lily Hogan, those words would come to mean so much. She knew that giving back to the community brought joy into people’s lives. When her fourth-grade class writes letters to the military overseas in Afghanistan, she takes up her own pen and leads her students by example – writing a letter to an unknown soldier.

  CPO John Griffin and his K-9 dog, Radar, have been through so much together over the last several years. Sniffing out bombs, searching the hills and mentoring his team, he feels so alone and unsure of his future- until a letter reminds him that there’s more to life in this world he’s protecting. Simple words, a kind gesture and feeling that he isn’t forgotten out there in the desert, compels him to write back. Before long, he finds himself looking forward to the care packages and letters from his pen-pal halfway across the world.

  With every letter and every word, they begin to develop a friendship and wonder what the other person is truly like? Major life changes are scary enough as it is - but is it possible to fall in love with someone before you’ve even laid eyes upon them? Can the magic of the season bring the sweetest gift of all?

  Remember Fate

  Lucy Reyes didn’t need anyone interfering with her life as an investigative reporter. She’d found out the hard way that having to depend on someone made you weak and left you vulnerable. When she overhears a private conversation that leaves her feeling sorry for an unknown soldier, she takes up the mantle and begins writing the stranger who’d been betrayed.

  Jamie Post had always known the direction of his life. He had a fiancée back home and was working diligently to be a strong provider until he discovers that Annabelle’s loyalty lies elsewhere - in someone else’s arms. Jamie takes what comfort he can in purging all his thoughts and emotions to a stranger on the other side of the world, when suddenly Lucy materializes on base in Afghanistan in jeopardy.

  Can Lucy tackle a job in the middle of a warzone while fighting the feelings inside of her? Will Jamie discover that letting down his guard means letting someone back into his heart? Can fate intervene, bringing these two hearts together in a world torn apart?

  Available for Preorder now

  Remember Love

  Get your copy of Remember Love

  Ava Richardson is a new mother with a child she never expected. When a nightmare event rips her from a fairytale life, she’s devastated and frightened to move on. What she never expected was to find solace in a pen-pal, pouring out her feelings to a stranger halfway across the world.

  Colin Wilkes is a weary, reckless soldier in Afghanistan. Saddled with guilt at causing his best friend to lose his leg, he awaits whatever fate he has coming. Unexpectedly receiving an email from a strange woman looking for anything to help her get through the day- he can’t help
but feel intrigued and sympathetic to her pleas.

  When Colin finds himself suddenly back in the States and face to face with his mysterious pen-pal, can a friendship that began over the internet solidify into something more? Can one shattered soul help mend another? Can they be saved by remembering just how to love someone?

  An Agent for Gillian

  Grab An Agent for Gillian- Click here!

  Two wrongs don’t make a right – or do they?

  Gillian Jameson had lost her world when her husband died. Alone, scared, and desperate for something to fill the emptiness in her soul- she turns to the Pinkerton Agency for help. What she never expected was to be married again, especially to a man like Cade Malone.

  Cade had a recklessness to him that was born of sheer desperation. His wife and child were gone. He was running from memories that haunted him with every breath and nightmares that plagued him each night. What he needed was a reason to go on- and it certainly wasn’t in the form of a new partner.

  Can two broken souls form a bond between them? Will seeing another person who is struggling to deal with the trauma in their lives be just the thing to help old wounds heal – or would falling for each other simply create another emotional scar that is just too great to bear?

  About the Author

  Ginny Sterling is a Texas transplant living in Kentucky. She spends her free time (Ha!) writing, quilting, and spending time with her husband and two children. Ginny can be reached on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or via email at GinnySterlingBooks@gmail.com

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  Remember Joy, Copyright © 2019 by Ginny Sterling

  These books are works of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of these books may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without express written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Thank you for supporting the author’s rights.

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